Lijit Ad Wijit

Friday, August 1, 2014

I know as you read the title you are asking yourself " how can anyone be so crazy to set themselves on fire"?

This is not fun or funny! This is deadly!

Not only are these kids setting themselves on fire, they are using rubbing alcohol as an accelerant and video taping each other to prove they did the #firechallenge.

This young man actually posted a video after this one showing his burns, and telling others Not to do it......ya think?

I just want to scream right now!

The 2 young ladies in the photo above are being video taped while doing the #passoutchallenge , notice the contorted body of the girl on the ground. Most likely caused by a lack of oxygen to her brain, seizure and probable brain cell death occurring. Nobody offers to help her up or make sure she does not injure herself while flopping around on the ground?? How crazy!

Several challenges are circulating the internet & video airwaves right now that are very dangerous for your children to even think about. Search these hashtags :

Also tell social media, esp Facebook to please remove these videos and photos, apparently Facebook does not think that they violate any of their community standards ?? Is this not Self Harm people? YouTube thinks so!

I received my MFA in Creative Writing at Full Sail University and writing is all I want to do. It doesn't matter the medium; journalism, screenwriting, novels, etc. As a writer, I am trying to climb up the ladder like all writers who want to make it. Of course, that entails doing internships.

Recently, I took an internship with Vast Entertainment Productions. The CEO, Lane Shefter Bishop, was willing to give me a chance when others would not. When I took this internship, I didn’t know what to expect from it. I was excited, eager to learn more about the writing world and film, and ready to get to work. The experience has been great, but I didn’t expect to be this much invested in one project alone. I had not heard about a deadly game being played by teenagers throughout the world until I was assigned to work on The Choking Game Film project.The Choking Game Film is based on the book titled, “Choke” written by Diana Lopez. It’s considered a game, not just any game, but a dangerous game, one that can kill. The game is also known as Pass out”, “Tap out” or “The Choking Game.” A game played where children most ages from 9-16 choke themselves or each other in order to get high. Air doesn’t circulate to the brain which causes the child to get high or, worse, stop breathing all together.At the internship, I was given the role of Social Media Intern.

My job is to promote the film, which airs on Lifetime July 26, 2014 at 8PM PT/ET. In order to do this I have been promoting via social media. When I made the Facebook’s Fan Page for the film, that’s when my life changed. Parents, friends, and family members started to reach out about their kids and loved ones dying from the choking game. They shared pictures, inboxed me their stories, and uplifted each other. The experience was overwhelming. I love how the community is reaching out and supporting each other. I don’t understand what these parents are going through, have gone through or will go through, but I want to make parents aware of this deadly game. This essay is my contribution to bringing awareness to the parents that are unfamiliar with this horrible game. To the kids that may be reading this essay, if you have or have not played the game; please let your friends know about the danger that is involved. It is not a game.

This experience thus far has taught me to love, not worry about things that are out of my control, and live life to the fullest. This experience has given me a new outlook on life. After my internship is finished it doesn’t matter if I am offered employment or not, I am grateful to be able to bring joy and awareness into so many people’s lives with the film that will be on Lifetime. It gives the families hope and spreads word so that this will not happen to any more children. United we stand and divided we fall.

To the families, friends and loved ones that has lost a child to this game, I pray for you and hope that you will find peace. I close with Lisa Johnson and Britney Krueger’s story. Hopefully it will help all of you to gain further perspective on the seriousness of this issue and call you to action for prevention.

My son’s name is Tristan Alexander Farnsworth. He was born on 6/2/99, 6lbs. 2 oz. He was such a sweet baby. Very easy going and slept through the night from the very first night. He was always very curious about everything. Wanting to know how everything worked. He was so smart. When he was in 8th grade the teachers said he was on a college reading level. I was always so very proud of how smart he was. He had such a good sense of humor and was so sweet to everyone he knew. All his friends would tell me how if they were having a bad day he would do everything he could to make them laugh. One of his closest friends told me that she was on the verge of committing suicide and he talked her out of it and she felt that he saved her life. Tristan was such a good big brother and he loved his sister so very much!! We have a huge hole in our lives without him in it. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think or have a mental movie in my mind of finding him that day. There are more moments happening more frequently that I think about all the times and moments I had with him. Those times are finally starting to outweigh the dark ones. I miss him so much!! Britney Krueger

I lost my handsome son Tyler Griffin on Feb 6th 2009 to this game. My son was only 12 yrs. old when he passed. Ty had so many dreams even at 12. So many of his friends looked up to him. Still till this day I hear such beautiful stories. Ty touched so many people hearts! He loved playing football they nicknamed him Blaze due to him blazing right thru the line :) Ty also loved fishing any chance he got he wanted to go also loved to cook. His smile would make you smile. Ty was an all-around wonderful, great, amazing child. Ty is missed so dearly. Every year we go to the cemetery to celebrate his birthday. We release balloons and sing Happy Birthday at 5 pm sharp the time Ty was born and have cupcakes and talk and remember our Sweet Angel. ~Lisa Johnson

Friday, October 11, 2013

Today is a day, just like any other say yes? For some maybe for others no! If you have ever lost a child, no day is the same, you wake up with a piece of your heart ripped from you that just can't be replaced.
No parent wants another parent to ever go thru the heartache of child loss, so today we urge you to wake up and educate yourself on something that 75% of kids already know about. Your kids!
The choking game has many names, it's all over YouTube, the internet, social media and your kids schools.
A high school trend...no, kids as young as 9 are dying everyday. So join us today on Worldwide Choking Game Awareness Day 2013 and Speak Up, Speak out, speak to Your kids today!

Friday, August 9, 2013

A study published in 2006, Self-injurious Behaviors in a College Population, by Whitlock et al., looked at the self-injurious behavior of over 2800 college students. Seventeen percent of the respondents reported self-injurious behavior. According to that study, the ten most common ways to self-harm were:1

Scratching or pinching – this behavior included severely scratching or pinching with fingernails or objects to the point that bleeding occurred or marks remained on the skin. This method of self-injury was seen in more than half of all students who reported participating in self-harm. (Watch interview on Dermatillomania: The Secret of Compulsive Skin Picking)

Impact with objects – this self-harm behavior included banging or punching objects to the point of bruising or bleeding. This way to self-harm was seen in just over 37% of the self-harming students.

Cutting – while cutting is often considered synonymous with self-harm, this way of self-mutilation only occurred in just over 1-in-3 students who reported self-harming. Cutting is more common among females.

Impact with oneself – this self-injury method includes banging or punching oneself to the point of bruising or bleeding. This way to self-injure was seen in almost 25% of the students who reported self-harming behaviors.

Ripped skin – this way of self-mutilation includes ripping or tearing skin. This type of self-injury was seen in just under 16% of those who admitted to self-harming behaviors.

Carving – this way of self-harm is when a person carves words or symbols into the skin. This is separate from cutting. This method of self-mutilation was identified by just under 15% of those who self-harm.

Interfering with healing – this way of self-mutilation is often in combination with other types of self-harm. In this case, a person purposefully hampers the healing of wounds. This method of self-harm was used by 13.5% of respondents.

Burning – burning skin is a way of self-mutilation. Burning as a way of self-injury was seen in 12.9% of students who self-harmed.

Rubbing objects into the skin – this type of self-harm involves the rubbing of sharp objects, such as glass, into the skin. Twelve percent of responding students used this way to self-harm.

Hair-pulling – this way to self-harm is medically known as trichotillomania. In trichotillomania, a person feels compelled to pull out their own hair and in some cases even ingest that hair. This type to self-injury was seen in 11% of students who self-harmed.

One thing to note, 70% of those who repeatedly self-harm use multiple ways to self-harm with the majority reporting between 2-4 self-injury methods used.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Self Injury and Self Harm, why?? many parents and friends to tweens and teens are asking this same question. You are very worried about your loved one when you find out that they are cutting themselves or maybe burning themselves, you worry and start to think what on earth could be wrong.

As a parent of teens and a survivor myself of self harm behaviors when I was a teen, I wanted to dig a bit deeper into the what's and why's of self mutilation and self harming. Today there are resources available all over the web to educate yourself and learn how to help others. If you are a parent, get involved and communicate with your kids, the worst thing you can do is shun them and scream at them more. They need your love, not your lectures. They are not usually seeking attention like you are thinking, nor usually suicidal, but can become addicted to self harming because they feel the painful emotions released when self harming and want that feeling more and more. Some self harmers can cut deep enough to require treatment, stitches, hospitalization and even to the point of a suicidal attempt.

There's no one single or simple cause that leads someone to self-injure. In general, self-injury is usually the result of an inability to cope in healthy ways with psychological pain related to issues of personal identity and having difficulty "finding one's place" in family and society. The person has a hard time regulating, expressing or understanding emotions. The mix of emotions that triggers self-injury is complex. For instance, there may be feelings of worthlessness, loneliness, panic, anger, guilt, rejection, self-hatred or confused sexuality.

Through self-injury, the person may be trying to:
Manage or reduce severe distress or anxiety and provide a sense of relief
Provide a distraction from painful emotions through physical pain
Feel a sense of control over his or her body, feelings or life situations
Feel something, anything, even if it's physical pain, when feeling emotionally empty
Express internal feelings in an external way
Communicate depression or distressful feelings to the outside world
Be punished for perceived faults

Many people who harm themselves cover it with clothing or make up, but in most cases, there are certain signs that indicate a possible self-injury disorder.

Some symptoms include:
Scars that do not go away or new ones all the time
Broken bones
Hair loss or bald spots
Isolation
Carrying a sharp object at all times
Covering up with clothing regardless of the weather or temperature
Bruises
Fresh cuts, scratches, or other wounds

Self-harm can be impulsive at times, although self-injury behaviors are also commonly planned, in a ritualistic practice, which happens repeatedly. It is the methodical aspect of self-harm that becomes a habit in some people — it provides comfort in the fact that it is a reliable, controllable sensation in what may feel an otherwise uncontrollable world.

Tomorrow I will look closer at how people are self harming and closer symptoms to watch for.
Until then be safe and spread love, not hate!